Origin of Kaddish Handout

7/31/2019 Origin of Kaddish Handout

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newCAJE Conference On Jewish Education

The Origin Of Kaddish

Presented by the Beurei Hatefila Institutewww.beureihatefila.com


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Translation Of Kaddish

`n lr A .À x D n W W C w z i e l CB z,D zEkl n Ki l ni e ,D zEr x k `x a i

oFkiI g A .D gi W n a xwi e Dpw x R g n v,l x U i zi A lk c iI g aE oFki nFia

:o n Ex n e ai xw o nf aE `lbr

m nFxz i e x R z i e g A Y W i elN d z i e dNr z i e xC d z i e ` Vp z

lM o n `Nr l ,Èd Ki x A `W c w C D nW,`zngp e `zg A W Y `zxi W e `zk x

.o n Ex n e ,`n lr A oxi n

zi A lk C oFd zEraE oFd zFlv l A w zY,Ì n W a i C oFdEa mcw l x Uo n À x `nl W ` d i :on Ex n

lM lr e Epilr mi aFh miI g e Ì nW:o n Ex n e ,l x U

d Uri Èd ,einFxn A mFlW d UEx n e ,l x U i lM lr e ,Epilr mFlW

:o n

Magnified and sanctified be G-ds great Namein this world which He created according to Hiswill. May He establish His kingdom, and;

May He Hasten the coming of His annointedessiah; in your life-time, and in the life-time o

all the house of Israel, speedily and at a neartime; and say you, Amen.

May His great Name be blessed for ever andever.

Blessed, praised and glorified, exalted, extolled

and honoured, adored and lauded be the Nameof the Holy One, blessed be He, beyond allblessings and hymns, praises and songs, whichcan be uttered in this world; and say you, Amen.

May the prayers and supplications of the wholehouse of Israel be accepted in the presence of theirFather who is in heaven; and say you, Amen.

May there be abundant peace from heaven, andlife for us and for all Israel; and say you, Amen.

May He who makes peace in His high places,make peace forus and for all Israel; and sayou, Amen.

Kaddish is a messianic text that many believe was composed during the period of Rabbi Akiva andthe Bar Kochva rebellion 132-135 CE and was recited by those who died Al Kiddush Hashem,martyrs deaths, during that period. Messianic texts are prayers in which the Jewish People express

hope that the Moshiach will come soon and open a world in which the entire human racerecognizes the Jewish G-d as G-d. The great tragedies that struck Jewish comunities during the las2000 years were often viewed as the percusors of the coming of the Moshiach and led to the recitaof messianic prayers as Jews were led to their deaths. The prayer of Aleinu LShabeach was recitedby those who died a martyrs death in Blois, France in 1171 CE. Jews who were being led to theirdeaths in the concentration camps during the Holocaust sang Ani MaMamin BEmunah ShLaima

BiBiyus HaMoshiach-I believe with unbreakable faith that the Moshiach will come.


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Examples Of Messianic Prayers

.zFxF` O d x vFi ,i- i dY KExA .FxF` l dx d n EpN k d Mf p e ,xi Y oFI v lr Wcg xF`

Epv x l zEI n nFw Epki lFze ,u x d zFt p M r A x n mFlW l Ep i ade

KExA .u x d zFt p M r A x n c gi Epv A w e ,EpizFIlB u A w l qp Ù e ,EpzExg l lFcB xtFWA r w Y.l x U i Fnr i g c p u A w n ,i- i dY

Epini A aFxw A DzF` dp aE ,Y xA C x W M DkFzA oFMW z e ,aEWY ming x A L xi r m ilWExil e.m ilWExi dpFA ,i- i dY KExA .oi kY DkFzl dx d n c ec ` Q k e ,mlFr oi p A

KExA .mFId lM EpiE w L zrEWil i M ,LzrEWi A mExY Fp x w e , gi n v z dx d n L C ar c eC g nv z .drEWi o x w gi n v n ,i- i dY

,i- i dY KExA .mi ng x A oFIv l L aEWA Epipir dpifg z e . . . Lzi A xi a c l dcFard z a Wd e.oFIv l Fzpi k W xifg O d

,Epini A aFxw A ,oFIv A Kl n Y i zn .Kl Ep gp mi M g n i M ,Epilr Kl n z e , ritFz EpM l n L nFwO nEpipir e .mi gv p g vp lE xFce xFcl ,L xi r m ilWExi KFzA W C w z z e l CB z Y .oFMW Y cre mlFrl

:Lw c v giW n c ec i c i lr ,LG r i xi W A xEn d xaC M ,LzEkl n dpi x z.D-iEll d ,xce xc l ,oFI v K i dl ,mlFrl i- i Kl n i

,mikl O d i k l n Kln l W Fn W , Vp z i e m nFx z i e x R z i e g A Y W i e W C w z i e l CB z i lM d lr. . . À d mlFrd e dG d mlFrd ,`xA W zFnlFrA ,Èd KExA WFcT d


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Translation: It has been taught: Rabbi Jose says: Iwas once travelling on the road, and I entered into oneof the ruins of Jerusalem in order to pray. EliyahuHaNavi, of blessed memory, appeared and waited

or me at the door until I finished my prayer. After Iinished my prayer, he said to me: Peace be with you,my master! and I replied: Peace be with you, mymaster and teacher! And he said to me: My son, whydid you go into this ruin? I replied: To pray. He saidto me: You ought to have prayed on the road. Ireplied: I feared that passers-by might interrupt me.He said to me: If that was the case, you should have

said an abbreviated prayer. I therefore learned threethings from Eliyahu HaNavi: One must not go intoa ruin; one may say the prayer on the road; and if onedoes say his prayer on the road, he may recite anabbreviated form of the prayer. The Prophet Eliyahuurther said to me: My son, what sound did you hearin this ruin? I replied: I heard a divine voice, cooinglike a dove, and saying: Woe to the children, on

account of whose sins I destroyed My house and burntMy temple and exiled them among the nations of theworld! And the Prophet Eliyahu further said to me:By your life and by your head! Not in this momentalone does G-d so exclaim, but three times each daydoes G-d exclaim like that! And more than that,whenever Jews go into the synagogues and schoolhousesand respond: May His great name be blessed! the

Holy One, blessed be He, shakes His head and says:Happy is the King who is thus praised in this house!Woe to the Father who had to banish his children,and woe to the children who had to be banished fromthe table of their Father!

'nr 'b sc zekxa zkqn ilaa ceniziid zg` mrt :iqei iax xn` ,ìpz-

zg` daxegl izqpkpe ,jxca jledil` à .lltzdl milyexi zeaxe

oiznde) gztd lr il xnye aehl xizniiqy xg`l .izltz izniiqy cr

!iax ,jilr mely :il xn` izlxnè !ixene iax ,jilr mely :el izxn

?ef daxegl zqpkp dn iptn ,ipa jl did :il xnè .lltzdl :el izx

`xizn :el izxnè !jxca lltz

.mikxc ixaer ia ewiqti `ny iz.dxvw dltz lltzdl jl did :il xn:mixac dyly epnn izcnl dry dze

izcnle ,daxegl oiqpkp oi`y izclltzndy izcnle ,jxca oilltzn

:il xnè .dxvw dltz lltzn - jxizxnè ?ef daxega zrny lew dn ,i

dpeik zndpny lew za izrny

mdizeperay mipal ie` :zxnilkid z` iztxye izia z` izax

jiig :il xnè .zene`d oial mizil,jk zxne` cala ef dry `l ,jy`x i

zxne` minrt yly meie mei lka `l`xyiy drya `l` ,cala ef `le ;

zeyxcn izale zeiqpk izal oiqpyecwd ,jxean lecbd diny `di oip

ixy` :xneè ey`x rprpn èd jeel dn ,jk eziaa eze` oiqlwny jlmipal mdl ieè ,eipa z` dlbdy a

.mdia` ogley lrn el

An Early Talmudic Reference To Kaddish

This source relates that a mystical reaction takes place when Kaddish is recited within a group of Jews-G-d remembers that despite the unfortunate moment when His residence on Earth-the H

Temple was destroyed and the People of Israel were exiled from their homeland, the Jewish Peocontinue to pray that G-d be recognized by all mankind as G-d on this world.


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Early Examples Of Circumstances When Kaddish Was Recited

'nr 'hn sc dheq zkqn ilaa cenlzdaexn meie mei lka :àx xn` -'`

mixac) :xn`py ,exiag lyn ezllw

axrae ,axr ozi in xn`z xwaa (gk`nili` ?xwa id ;xwa ozi in xn`z

`l` ?ied i`n rci in ,xgnlc xwa?miiwn `w i`n` `nlr lè .silgc

àx diny `diè `xciqc dyecw`dztr ux` ('i aei`) :'`py ,`zcb`cyi `d ,mixcq `le zenlv lte` enk

.lte`n ritez - mixcq

Rabba said: And the curse of each day is severer than thatof the preceding day, as it is stated: In the morning youshall say: If only it were possible that G-d advance the time

so that it be evening! And at evening you shall say: If onlyit were possible that G-d advance the time so that it bemorning. Which morning are they longing for? If you say itis the morning of tomorrow, does anyone know that it willnot present an even more difficult circumstance? Therefore itmust be that they were longing for the morning of the daybefore. In that case, why does G-d allow the world toendure? Because of the recital of the words of Kedushahand their Aramaic translation at the end of the prayerservice and the Kaddish that is recited after the Scriptural

reading, and the response of May His great Name beblessed which is uttered in the Kaddish after studying

Midrash; as it is stated: A land of thick darkness, asdarkness itself, a land of the shadow of death, without anyorder. Hence if there are Scriptural readings, the readingsbring light to the thick darkness.

The words of the Kedusha found in the prayer of OOVahLTzion. That prayer was authored so that Jews wouldlearn at least some Torah each day during the prayer serviceby reciting the words of Kedusha and their Aramaictranslation. The words of Kedushah were translated into

Aramaic so that both learned and unlearned people couldunderstand the verses. By reading the Hebrew and

Aramaic translations, individuals fulfill two requirements:sanctifying G-ds name and studying Torah, both of whichare dear to G-d. In a similar manner, we recite the wordsYHai Shmei Rabbah MVorach after hearing a talk on

Aggaditah that a teacher customarily teaches publicly onShabbat. People would congregate in synagogues in order tohear words of Torah because it was not a work day. Bylistening to words of Torah and then answering YHaiShmai Rabbah, the congregants fufilled the obligation ofsanctifying G-ds name and learning Torah.

sc dheq zkqn ilaa cenlz -i"yxxcq `xciqc dyecw`- '` 'nr 'hn

lk ediy `l` depwz `ly ,dyecwxac mei lka dxeza oiwqer l`xyi

ode enebxze ezìxw xne`y hrenlka bdepy oeike ;dxeza oiwqerk

yie .ux`d inrae micinlza l`xyicenlze myd zyecw :mizy o`k

dax diny `di oke .èd aiag ,dxezdoyxcdy dcbd xg` oipery jxan

yxec,jk oibdep eid zay lka miaxaitl renyl mrd lk oivawp eid mye

dxez o`k yie ,dk`ln ly mei epi`y.myd yeciwe


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Why Kaddish Is Recited During The Prayer Service

lèpnr - zeycgd mipe`bd zeaeylre .qyz - gpyz- 'dl oniq (wte``vnp `l zl`y xy` yicwd dyr

on ahid xxean xac eilr epicimipexg`d edeknq j` ,mipey`x

('al ,'ak `xwie) dfd weqtd ldn lre ;l`xyi ipa jeza izycw

,'`k zekxa) eyxcna epizeax exn`y

zegt `di `l dyecway xac lk ('`vei elld mixacd on .dxyrmc` ipa dxyr evawzp m`y md

cenlza oia dltza oia devn xaciweqt xg` jkl .ycwl oikixv dxe

xiya xgead jexal jenqe dxnfmrt eyicwi minlerd ig dxnfa

ly devnd z` eniiq xaky itl ,zgzxgà ligzi eykre dxnfc iweq

dixg`le diptl dizekxaa y"w ìdy,g"i meiq lk xg` exnì yicwe . .

dpiè dnvr ipta devn ìd mb.dixg` xnìy dn mr zxagz

,dxez xtq xg` exnì xg` yicw.dxyra xeaiva dxezd zìxwy ipt

èdy iptn ,dyecw xcq xg` yicwxac ède dnvr ipta devn èd m

.dxyrn zegti `le dyecwa

Concerning the origin of Kaddish that you asked, wecan not trace the practice to a clear and definitive sourceound among our ancestors writings. However, thosewho followed them based their recitation of Kaddishupon this verse (Leviticus 22, 32) And I will besanctified within the people of Israel and upon what ourRabbinic leaders extrapulated from the verse: that any

prayer which results in the sanctification of the name oG-d must be recited only in a group of ten men. From

theses teachings we can conclude that when ten mencongregate to perform a mitzvah, whether it be forprayer or for the study of Torah, they must recite aprayer in which they sanctify the name of G-d. As aresult, at the conclusion of the first section of themorning prayer, Pseukei DZimra, after reciting theBracha in Yishtabach, those congregated should reciteKaddish because they have the completed the mitzvah oreciting Pseukei DZimra and they are about to

perform an additional Mitzvah, the recital of KriyatShma and its blessings before and after . . . And theyshould recite Kaddish after Shmona Esrei because it toois an independent Mitzvah and it is not connected withthat which is recited after it. And another Kaddishshould be recited after the Torah Reading because inorder to read from the Torah, ten men must congregatetogether. And another Kaddish after reciting theKedusha in OOVah LTzion because it too is a

Mitzvah unto itself and it is a Prayer of Sanctificationof G-ds name and requires the presence of ten men.


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Why Kaddish Is Recited At A Funeral And Not At A Wedding

lèpnr - zeycgd mipe`bd zeaeyzoicd wecve .qyz - gpyz- 'dl oniq

dlibn) 'ixn`ck xeavd oiaiigy devnz`vedl dxez cenlz oilhan ('a ,'b

ycwl oikixve ,dlk zqpkdle zndoi`y exn` mipe`bd zvwne .dilr

cr oicd wecv xg` yicw xnel ie`x

èdy xac lr `l` yicwd exnìyexn` mixg` mipe`be .devnd oiprn

devnd on dxeawdy dwqtd my oi`y`l dnl xnel jytp z` yi mè .ìd

dtegl dlk zqpkda yicw exnìxyt` i` ?dxyra ìde devn ìdy

`l` mià mpi` xeavd ixdy ,ok xneldne`n mixne` mpiè `nlra ceakl

`la yecwd oi` ixdy ,eycwi dn lre.gay ly e` devn ly dxin` mey

The prayer Tzadok Hadin that is recited at a burial is aMitzvah that is the responsibility of the community toperform, as it is written in Tractate Megilah, page 3, side 2,that one must take time away from studying Torah toaccompany the casket to the cemetery and to accompany abride to her wedding, and it is therefore necessary to reciteKaddish at the burial. A minority of Gaonim hold that oneshould not recite Kaddish at a burial simply because Tzodak

Hadin has been said. Instead, Kaddish should be recitedonly after a different Mitzvah was performed (i.e. learningTorah). Other Gaonim hold that the burial itself is the

Mitzvah that triggers the recitation of Kaddish. Now, thisline of reasoning may prompt you to be troubled by theollowing question: why is not also our custom to reciteKaddish at a wedding? Is not the performance of a weddingthe type of Mitzvah that requires the presence of ten men? Itis not appropriate to recite Kaddish at a wedding because thecongregation is coming only to honor the couple; they do not

say a word nor perform any act, so for what reason shouldthose present recite Kaddish? Kaddish is not recited unlessthose present have said some words that are part of a

Mitzvah or consist of words of praise.


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Talmudic Source That Led To The EstablishmentOf The Mourners Kaddish

`xa-'` 'nr 'cw sc oixcdpq zkqnaizkc ,`xa ikfn `l à` .à` ikfn

oi` ;livn icin oiè (a"l mixac)wgvi oi` ,l`rnyi z` livn mdxa`

.eyr z` livn

A son can relieve the punishment of adeceased father. A father cannot relieve the

punishment of a deceased son. This rule isbased on a verse: (Deutoronomy 32) Andthere is no one who can deliver out of myhand. Avrohom could not save Yishmaeland Yitzchak could not save Esau.


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An Incident Involving Rabbi Akiva -`aiwr iaxa dyrn

An incident that occurred to Rabbi Akiva while walking on the road adjacent to a cemetery: RabbiAkiva noticed a man in the cemetery who appeared to be unclothed and his body black as coal. He wascarrying a large bundle of thorns on his head. It seemed to Rabbi Akiva that the man was alive and thathe was galloping like a horse. Rabbi Akiva commanded the man to stop and the man stopped. Rabbi

Akiva then inquired of him: why are you doing such tedious work? If you are a slave and your masterforces you to work this hard, I will redeem you from him immediately; if you are poor and there are thosewho are taking advantage of your poverty, I will cause you to be rich. The man responded: please do notinterfere with my work. You will cause me to anger those who are guarding me. Said Rabbi Akiva: whatis all this and what is the purpose of your labor? The man said: In truth, I am deceased. I am requiredeach day to collect wood. Said Rabbi Akiva: What was your occupation in the world from which you came?The man answered: I was a tax collector. I would favor the rich and oppress the poor. Said Rabbi Akiva:have you not heard from those who are persecuting you of a means by which you could be relieved of your

punishment? Said the man: Please do not hold me up any longer. My supervisors are growing angrier. Iam not one who can ever qualify for relief. I have heard them say: if only this poor man had left a son whocould stand up in a congregation of people and say: Borchu Es Hashem Hamivorach with the congregation

answering: Yihai Shmai Rabbah MVorach. This man would then be relieved of his punishment. Butwhen I died I did not leave a surviving son but I did leave a pregnant wife. And I do not know if she gavebirth to a son. But even if she did give birth to a son, I doubt that my wife would have taught him Torahbecause I left behind in the world no one who cared for me. Immediately, Rabbi Akiva accepted uponhimself the responsibility of searching for the mans wife and to learn whether she had given birth to a sonand if she did, to teach the son Torah so that the son could lead the services before a congregation. Rabbi

Akiva then asked him: what was your name. He responded: Akiva. And what was your wifes name?Shoshniva. And the name of his city where I lived was Ludkia (a city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria).Hearing this, Rabbi Akiva shudderred but did not allow his feelings to prevent him from going to the cityand inquiring as to the man and his family. When Rabbi Akiva reached the city, he asked about the man.

The residents responded: may his bones rot. Rabbi Akiva then asked about the mans wife. The residentsanswered : may her name be erased from memory. Rabbi Akiva next asked about the child. The residentssaid that he was never circumcised because the family was not interested in performing even the Mitzvah of

Milah. Immediately Rabbi Akiva circumcised the boy and started teaching the boy Torah but the boywould not absorb any of it. It was not until Rabbi Akiva fasted for 40 days that the boy started to acceptany of the Torah learning. Then a voice ws heard from heaven asking Rabbi Akiva: for this type of person

you fasted? Rabbi Akiva answered: G-d, was not my intent to show him the correct path so that he mayserve You? G-d then opened the boys heart and the boy began to appreciate the Torah learning. Helearned to recite Kriyat Shma and Birchat Hamazone. Rabbi Akiva then arranged for the boy to stand in

front of a congregation and to cry out: Barchu. Those present answered his cry with: Baruch Hashem

Hamivorach. At that moment, the deceased man was relieved of his punishment. The decedent soonthereafter appeared to Rabbi Akiva in a dream and said to him: may it be His will that your soul rest inGan Eden due to your having saved me from the judgment of Hell. Rabbi Akiva then began to expoundupon the following verse from the Torah: (Psalms 135) G-d, You name is forever; G-d you will beremembered from generation to generation. Based on this story, it became a custom that the person to leadthe services on Motzei Shabbat was someone whose father or mother had died. That provided the mournerwith the opportunity to call out Barchu and Kaddish.


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Early Reference To Kaddish Being Recited By A Minor

The leader recites: VHoo Rachum Barchu,the Evening Service in the order as he does allear, and recites Shmona Esrei as always,

except that he recites Havdalah; in theblessing Chonain HaDaat, AtahChonuntanu, whole Kaddish, he recitesHavdalah on a cup of wine, and makes the

blessing on the fire using the candles that wereburning throughout Shabbat, and if it is theend of Shabbat, they recite VYitain LCha,and a minor recites Kaddish and they gohome in peace.

xne` ofgd-'fhx oniq-i"yx xeciqxcqk ,ziaxr zlitz ,ekxa megx ède

dxyr dpeny elltzie ,dpyd lk,zrcd opega oilicany `l` ,oxciqk

licane ,mly yicw ,'eke epzppeg dz`y`d ixe`n `xea jxane qekd lr

lk ewlcy zexipd md ,ea zayy xe`lozie exnì ,èd zay i`ven mè ,meid

oixhtpe ,yicw xnì ohwde ,jl.melya mdizal

BIOGRAPHY OF RASHI

Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, Isaacides) was born in Troyes, innorthern France in 1040 and died in Worms in 1105. He studied in the academies (yeshivot) of

Troyes, Mainz, and Worms. His teachers, Rabbi Jacob ben Yakar and Rabbi Isaac ben Judah, werestudents of Rabbenu Gershom, Me'or Ha-Golah. In 1070, Rashi returned to Troyes and foundeda yeshiva there, which was attended by students from far and near. (Bar Ilan Digital Library)


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Early Reference To Kaddish Being Recited By A Minor

Hashem Chafetz LMaan Tzidko YagdilTorah VYaadir: Kaddish, and then the leadersits down. The congregation then recites: Shir

Mizmor LAssaf...Ki Kal Hamim Yalchu IshBShem Elokav VAnachnu Nalaich BShemHashem Alokainu LOlam Vaed. And theminor stands and recites Kaddish and skipsTiSkabel and says: YHai Shlama Rabbah.When the congregation recites verses or a sectionof Mishna, the congregation must reciteKaddish afterwards; Ki Hamalchut ShelchaHee OOLOlmai Ad Timloch BKavod. Ki

Ain Lanu Melech Elah Atah; Baruch AtahHashem Hamelech Bichvodo Tamid Yimloch

Aleinu LOlam Vaed VAl Kol Maasav.And he recites Kaddish until DAmiran. Theystand to recite Shmona Esrei and then sayKaddish. The leader then sits down andeveryone recites Pitum Hakitoret...the minor

stands and recites Kaddish without Titkabel.And this Kaddish is recited solely for thepurpose of educating young children. It is notconsidered one of the seven mandatoryKaddishes that are represented by the verse:Seven each day I will praise you.

ornl utg 'd-'bv oniq -ixhie xefg.'eke yicw :xicìe dxez licbi ewc

xenfn xiy :xneè ofgd aymya yi` ekli minrd lk ik...sq`

epidl` 'd mya jlp epgpè eidlyicw xneè xrpd cnere :cre mler

`nly `di xneè lawzz blcne` weqt xne` xeaivdyky .da

;mdixg` yicw xnel oikixv dpy

'`w oni-ìd jly zeklnd ikepl oi` ik .ceaka jelnz cr inlerl

jlnd 'd dz` jexa dz` `l` jlcre mlerl epilr jelni cinz eceak

cr yicw xneè :eiyrn lk lrxneè g"i dlitzl oicnere .oxin`

enewna ayeie ofgd jlede .'eke yiccenri...zxhwd mehit :mlek 'ixne`

yicwe .lawzz `la yicw xneè xrpepiè .zewepizd z` jpgl `l` epi` d

.jizlld meia ray llk

BIOGRAPHY OF THE COMPOSER OF THE MACHZOR VITRY

Rabbi Simhah of Vitry (12th century), a student of Rashi. Machzor Vitry contains liturgical comments andecisions, as well as many piyyutim. (Bar Ilan Digital Library)


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Earliest Reference To Kaddish Being Recited By A Mourner

d"c 'p oniq zay zekld 'a rxf xeoke orpk uxà epbdpn-sqend zltxeavd exnìy xg`l qepix ipa bdp

xneè mezid cner epidl-`k oimpi`y izi`x ztxva la` yic

m` yicw xnìy in jk lr micitwmè a` el yiy xrp e` mezi xr

didy dyrn meyn `xazqn epbdpnk

.àiwr iaxa dyrn

Our custom in Bohemia and also the customin the Rhineleand is that on Shabbos afterthe congregation recites Ain Kailokainu, theorphan stands and recites Kaddish but inFrance I saw that they are not concerned as towho recites the Kaddish whether it be a childwho lost a parent or a child who has both

parents. But our custom is more appropriatebecause of the story of Rabbi Akiva.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE OUR ZARUAH

Rabbi Yitzchok ben Rabbi Moshe of Vienna was born ca. 1180 and died ca. 1250. Hewas a student of Raàvyah and other Tosafists in Ashkenaz and was the teacher ofMaharam of Rothenburg and other Tosafists. He is best known for his Or Zarua, oneof the most important halachic compendia containing the decisions of Ashkenazic

Rishonim. (Bar Ilan Digital Library)


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How A Prayer Intended For Children Became An Adults Prayer

After Aleinu they recite Kaddish. We learned inMidrashim that a son should recite Barchu and be theleader in synagogue. Through these acts he relieves the

punishment of his deceased parents as it is written inMidrash Tanhuma for Parshat Noah and in Masechet

Kallah in the chapter entitled: Rav Yuda. The practiceof mourners reciting Kaddish during the mourning

period was instituted because of minors and laterbecause of adults who did not have the ability to lead inthe services. It is for that reason that the Kaddishbecame known as the Orphans Kaddish.

-b"ix oniq-dyn dhn xtqxg`ezeyxcna `vnpe .yicw xn` epilr

xeaiva lltzdle ekxa xnel oal yiydpicn en` z`e eia` z` livn dfae

gp 't `negpza `zi`ck mipdb lyliayae .`cei 'x wxt dlk zkqnaelltzdl leki epi`y in liayae miphw

jkl ela` inia ef yicw xnel epwz.mezi yicw ef yicwl `xwp

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR OF THE MATEH MOSHE

Rabbi Moshe ben Avraham of Przemysl (died 1606), a student of Rabbi Shlomo Luri


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UNDERSTANDING KADDISH YASOM

A Tshuva by Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Hacohen Aviner

Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Hacohen Aviner is the head of Yeshivat Ateret Kohanim and Rabbi

of the community of Bet-El in Israel. Reproduced from Shailat Shlomo, Part 1 Section 21

Question: I was commemorating a yahrzeit and was leading the services as schaliachtzibbur. When the time came to the say the Mourners Kaddish, I heard a guest start to sayKaddish in a loud voice. What conduct should I have followed: Attempt to say Kaddishlouder than the guest in the hope that my voice would also be heard or should I haveremained silent and allowed the guest to recite Kaddish by himself?

Answer: It is important to recite theMourners Kaddish. The practice is basedon a report in the gemara that Rabbi

Akiva had a dream in which he saw a manwho appeared very disturbed. The manexplained to Rabbi Akiva that while alivehe had been a great transgressor and hadtherefore been judged to a sentence ingehenom. When Rabbi Akiva awoke, hesought out the son of the man that he hadseen in the dream and instructed the son

to say Kaddish. As a result, the man in thedream was rescued from gehenom.The deceased are rescued from a negativejudgment when their children reciteKaddish because their children are sayinga davar shbekedusha, a holy prayer, inhonor of their mother or father, on theday of the yahrzeit and during the 12months after their demise. By doing so,the soul of the departed rises through

levels of judgment until they reach ganeden.

Nevertheless, despite the importance ofreciting Kaddish, there are moreimportant acts that a child can perform.

As it is written in the Kitzur Schulchan

Aruch: although the recitation of Kaddishand other prayers are important for thedeparted, those acts are not what is mostessential. What is most important is thatthe child walk in the correct path. When achild follows the correct path, heincreases the honor of the departed. As itis written in the Zohar quoting from apasuk in Malachi, 1, 6: a son shouldrespect his father and as it is written inExodus 20, 6: honor thy mother and

father. After each parent departs, should achild believe that he is suddenly absolvedfrom honoring that parent? That is not so.

After a parent is deceased, there is aneven greater obligation to honor theparent. If the son follows along the sinfulpath, certainly he dishonors his parent andhe certainly embarrasses his family. But ifthe same son walks along the righteouspath and does the correct things, he

honors his parent both in front of thosein this world and in front of those in thenext world who stand in the presence ofG-d. G-d will then have pity on the parentand honor the parent by giving the parenta place near G-ds seat of honor.

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The Mishneh Breura wrote: If one can bethe Schaliach Tzibbur, that is preferableto just reciting Kaddish. Despite this, theKaddish plays a special role, as it was

written in the book Yaish Nochlin: Oursages instituted a practice (sayingKaddish) that they thought every man wascapable of performing. They hoped that ata minimum every child would reciteKaddish for his deceased parent becauseKaddish was a prayer which was simple tolearn (especially when everyone spoke

Aramaic). Everyone is familiar with theprayer from the time they were young.

The Yaish Nochlin continued: if a person

is capable of being the Schaliach Tzibbur,he honors his parent in a greater manner.But the child can take steps on his own tohonor his parents in other ways. Inparticular, studying Torah out of respectfor the deceased is seven times morebeneficial than being a Schaliach

Tzibbur. It hastens the entry of thedeceased into gan eden. And if the sonhas the ability to author new Torah ideas,

it is an even greater benefit to the parent.

Therefore in answer to the question, sinceyou were the Schaliach Tzibbur, which

was more important than simply recitingKaddish, you should have allowed theguest to say the Kaddish by himself.

There are however, some congregations,and in particular, congregations thatfollow the Sephardic tradition, in which allthe mourners say Kadddish together,

word by word. About this the GesherChaim wrote: That is not the practicefollowed in other congregations,particularly Ashkenazic congregations.

Where you find two say Kaddish or whenmany say Kaddish, one often gets ahead

of the others, and the sound becomesconfusing to the point that no one in thecongregation can clearly hear the Kaddish.

As a result the congregants do not knowwhen to say yhai shmai raba... In such asituation, no only was there no purpose intheir reciting Kaddish but the mournersconverted what was to be praise of G-dinto something derogatory. And theChasam Sopher made the same point that

when the mourners do not read in unison,they destroy the purpose of theKaddish.

As a result, two mourners should nevercompete with each other. It is preferable

that the mourners divide the reciting ofthe Kaddishes for each prayer. That wasthe original custom among Jews asdescribed by the early poskim. So if aguest comes and interferes with therecitation of the Kaddish by the others, itis better that everyone defers to the guestand stops saying the Kaddish or saysKaddish quietly rather than to compete

with the guest and to cause confusion. If

despite this, you still feel strongly that youshould say Kaddish, then say Kaddishquietly while the Schaliach Tzibbur saysKaddish, repeating word for word. Whenthe congregation answers amen to theSchaliach Tzibbur they will also beanswering amen to you. That is the way

we practice in our Beis Medresh, HasidimBet El, that the Schaliach Tzibbur says theMourners Kaddish as representative ofthe mourners. If someone attempts torecite Kaddish with him, he would causeconfusion. So the Rabbis there ruled thatanyone who needs to say Kaddish shouldfollow word for word silently along withthe Schaliach Tzibbur.

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Origin of Kaddish Handout

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Transcript of Origin of Kaddish Handout